Package holder



Nov. 11, 1924.

P. L. FANNEN PACKAGE HOLDER Filed Jan. 8,

IN VENTOR Pat-Pubic J1. 'iamme'n ATTORNEYS WITNESSES m.

Patented New. El, 1924.

r STATES PATENT OFFICE.

@AEBIQK L. FANNEN, NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOHN W. PRENTISS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PACKAGE HOLDER.

Application filed January 8, 1924. Serial No. 684,928.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK L. FANNEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residin r at New York, in the county of New Y drk, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Package Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relate sto package holders.

Certain articles are sold in paper packages which are usually carried by the purchaser until the articles in the package are consumed. If the package be unfolded'or mutilated in order to make the contents accessible to rmit the removal of one or more of the articles, thereafter. it does not constitute an eficient container for the re-- maining articles in the package. For instance, certain brands of cigarettes are sold in paper packages, and it is the customto open these packages by unfolding the flaps at one end thereof, or by tearin a hole or otherwise mutilating a part of t e ackage to make the cigarettes accessible. e cigarettes are removed as needed through the opening so made. The aper package is usually carried by the pure aser until all of the cigarettes are consumed. If the ackage be originally opened by unfolding t e flaps at the end thereof, it must be closed each time one of the cigarettes is removed by refolding the flaps, and this unfolding and refolding of the flaps at the end of the package is a time consuming1 and awkward procedure. On the other and, if an opening be torn in the package, or the package be otherwise mutilated,- an opening is formed in the package which cannot be closed, and the universal objection to this procedure is that the package no longer forms an efiicient container for the cigarettes as they frequently discharge themselves through the opening into the pocket of the purchaser.

One object of this invention is to facilitate the removal of cigarettes from a; paper package of the kind referred to above, and to render the package serviceable as an eflicient container until all the cigarettes are consumed.

Another ob'ect is to provide a holder for yieldingly holding, in its closed position, a

-2 and 4.

package or container of that type which may be opened and closed b a hinge-like action of one part upon anot er.

Another object is to provide means for rendering a paper package serviceable as a container until its contents are consumed,

such container being capable of being opened and closed by a hinge-like action ofone part upon another. I

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichigure 1 is a perspective view of the improved holder applied to a. cigarette packg Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the center of the packa eshown in Figure 1, the section being t en just above the holder;

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the package in its open position;

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the holder with the hinge parts disassembled to show theconstruction thereof; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating a different manner of applying the holder to the package.

The improved holder may be used with any kind of a package which is capable of being opened by a hmge-like action of one part upon anot er, but it was designed especially for use in connection with a'cigarette package to facilitate the removal-of the cigarettes from the package, and to render the cigarette package serviceable as an efficient container until all the cigarettes are consumed, and for this reason the invention will bev described asap lied to a cigarette package. It should understood, however, that the invention is not limited tothis particular use. p

The cigarette package is shown at 1 and, in the present instance, is of a type which is very commonly used. This particular type of package is usually made of several layers paper folded and sealed to form an enclosing container for the cigarettes. By using an inexpensive container of this type the cost of the cigarettes to the consumer may be kept at the minimum. The holder is shown at 2 and may comprise a band of metal or other suitable material composed of two sections 3 and 4 connected by means of a hinge shown in Figures As stated a eve, the hinge in Figure 4 is shown disassembled to make its construction clear. It may be any suitable type of hinge. In the present instance it is formed by providing lugs 6 on the hinge sections 3 and 4, through which passes a hinge pin 7. A coiled spring 8 surrounds the pin 7 and its extremities co act with the sections 3 and 4 to yieldingly hold thesections of the band in the position shown in Figure 1. The band may be applied to the package by inserting the package into the band. the band having been especially designed for a particular size package, so that it will snugly engage thesame.

When it is desired to open the package it may be out along the top and bottom faces and along that face which is opposite to the hinge 5. In other. words, the package is out along three sides so that it may be opened by a hinge-like action, as shown in Figure 3, a part of the fourth side 9 serving as a hinge. When the package is so cut, it is obvious that it may be opened at any time by, forcing the two sections of the package apart, so that one part of the package w1ll swing with a hinge-like action on the other part. The hinge 5 of the band 2 permits this hinge-like action of one part of the package on the other. The cigarettes, showh at 10 in Figure 3, are then readily accessible, and after the removal of one or more cigarettes, the band 2, which tends to remam in its closed position by reason of the spring 8, closes the package and holds the two parts thereof together.

The adjacent ends of the band 2 may be left plain as in Figure 1, or they may be bent upon themselves as shown .at 11 in Figure 3, so that the edges of the package formed by the cutting action may be inserted in the grooves thus formed. This will prevent collapsing of the paper package after a number of the cigarettes have been removed therefrom. Of course, if the package be made of material which is sufliciently stifi' and rigid, the bent extremities 11 may be dispensed with as in Figure 1.

If desired, the packages that are to be used with the band 2 may be especially' manufactured for the purpose, in whic case a string 12 may be incorporated in three walls of the package as shown in Figure 1, so that when the string is pulled by thepurchaser it will tear three walls of the package and open the same, so that one-half of the package will be automatically hinged to the other half as exemplified in Figure 3.

The band may be sold with the package, or it may be applied to the package by the purchaser, in which event he may. use the same band successively for a number of packages. If the band be supplied with the package it may be applied to the same as shown in Figure 1, or it may be so incorporated with the package that it is covered by the outer layer 13 of the pack age as shown in Figure 5. Inthis event, the outerlayer 13 will prevent collapsing of the package as the number of cigarettes therein is reduced and, therefore, it may be unnecessary to employ the bent extremities 11.

It will now be seen that by opening the ackage in the manner described above, and y employing a holder of the type herein described, the paper package of the type usually employed for holding certain grades of cigarettes and which ordinarily does not constitute an efficient container for the cigarettes after it has once been opened, is rendered serviceable and efiicient as a container until all of the cigarettes are consumed. In spite of the fact that the container may be made of inexpensive material, such as paper, the application of an inexepsive band of the ty herein described permits the package to b: used as a container of that type which may be opened and closed by a hinge-like action of one part upon another.

As stated above, the band may be used with packages of other types than that herein described, but at present it seemsthat the chief value of the holder is for use in connection with cigarette packages of the inexpensive paper type for converting the same into an eflicient container which may be opened and closed by a hinge-like action of one part upon another.

What I claim is:

1. A holder for packages which are adapted to open about a part which serves as a hinge, comprising a band adapted to encircle the package and consisting of a pair of hinged sections, and means to yieldingly hold the band in its closed position, whereby the band when appliedto the package with the hinging axis of the band adjacent to and parallel with the hinging axis of the package will open with the package and will yieldingly hold the package in its closed position.

2. A device for use with packages which are adapted to open about a. part which serves as a hinge, comprising a band adapted to encircle the package, said band being split so as to open with a hinge-like action along a line substantially opposite the split, and means for yieldingly holding said band closed, whereby the band when applied to the package with the hinging axis of the band adjacent to and parallel with the hinging axis of the package will open with the package and will yieldingly hold the package in its closed position.

3. A device for use with packages which are adapted to open about a part which serves as a hinge, comprising a band adapted to encircle the package, said band bein split so as to open at the split, and the ban being yieldingly held in its closed position, whereby the band when applied to the package with. that part opposite the split in juxtaposition with the hinging axis of the package will open with the package and will yieldingly hold the package in its closed position.

4:. The combination with a package adapted to open. about a part which serves as a hinge, of a holder comprising a pair of hinged sections adapted to at least partly surround the package, said holder being applied to the package with the hinging axis of the band adjacent to and parallel with the hinging axis of the package and means for yieldingly holdin said sections in a position which will yiel ingly hold the package in its closed position.

5. The combination with a package adapted to be opened about a part which serves as a hinge, of a holder comprising a split band adapted to at least partly surround the package, said band being applied to the package with that part opposite the split in juxtaposition with the hinging axis of the package and said band being yieldingly held in a position that will hold the package closed.

6. The combination with a paper pack e provided with means for splittin the patiage along three sides thereof w ereby the package may be opened about a part of the fourth side which serves as a hinge, of a holder comprising a band adapted to at least partly surround the package and having two hinged sections adapted-to be applied to the package with the bin ing axis of the band adjacent to and para lel with the h' 'ng axis of the package and means for yiel mgly holding said sections in a position that will yieldingly hold the package in its closed position.

7. A holder for packages that are adapted to be opened about a part which serves as a hinge comprising a split band adapted to at least partly encircle the package, said band being adapted to be applied to the package with that part opposite the split in juxtaposition with the hinging axis of the package and said band bein yieldingly held in a position that will yieldingly hold the package closed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

PATRICK L. FANNEN. 

